Her statement ignored the fact that most of the schools date back to the pre-Civil War era when public policy in parts of the nation barred blacks from education.

Here's a lesson for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos: If you're going to comment on black history, please do yourself a favor and at least do a little research on your subject.

DeVos released a statement on Monday ahead of President Trump's meeting with leaders of historically black colleges and universities that showed she either has no clue about the history of why these institutions started or she willfully tried to use them to further her own cause.

"HBCUs are real pioneers when it comes to school choice," her statement read. "They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality. Their success has shown that more options helps students flourish."

Her statement ignored the fact that most of the schools date back to the pre-Civil War era when public policy in parts of the nation barred blacks from education. They were a response to racist Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation in the South.

It was a choice back then alright, the only choice.

Talk about tone deaf. It's Black History Month and Trump is trying to reach out to the leaders of the black universities to build better relations.

Trump appeared to be trying to start to make good on a promise to give the schools more support. He gathered the heads of the universities in his office to sign an executive order giving HBCUs more clout.

It's easy to see why some would criticize that meeting as little more than an opportune photo-op with Trump and the school leaders in the oval office, especially when a photo made the rounds with Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway's feet propped up on the sofa like she was at home. This was supposed to be a serious occasion.

Talk about disrespectful.

To be fair, on Tuesday, DeVos spoke at more length with HBCU leaders and noted that "the traditional school system systematically failed to provide African-Americans access to quality education - or sadly, more often to any education at all."

But the damage from DeVos' earlier statement had already been done. At best, she seemed out of touch with easily accessible history - a good summary of HBCUs is on the Education Department's own web site.

Leona Allen, Editorial Board Member.
She's been at The News for 24 years, on the editorial board since 2015. She's also served as deputy managing editor for local news and other leadership positions. She was part of the Pulitzer Prize team awarded in public service for coverage of race relations at the Akron Beacon Journal.